BEIJING, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese lawmakers on Friday voted to adopt a revised version of the Law on Penalties for Administration of Public Security at a session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC).

The revised law, with updated provisions regarding minor protection and the handling of violations of public security regulations by the group, consists of 144 articles in six chapters.

This move comes amid growing public concern over rising juvenile delinquency, particularly involving serious violent crimes committed by younger minors.

According to the Supreme People's Procuratorate's 2025 work report, prosecutors indicted 57,000 juvenile offenders in 2024, including 34 younger minors involved in serious violent crimes.

To respond to this trend, the revised law makes adjustments to existing rules that exempted minors from detention. It now stipulates detention of juveniles aged 14 to 18 in cases where a first offense is particularly serious or harmful, or when those aged 14 to 16 commit repeated violations within a year.

"Juvenile delinquency cannot be handled with a one-size-fits-all approach, neither by locking them all up nor by releasing them without proper intervention," said Huang Haihua, spokesperson for the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee.

Alongside targeted and tougher penalties, the revised law also underscores prevention and rehabilitation.

A 2020 revision to the Law on the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency introduced a range of corrective measures, namely warnings, social probation, special education and correctional education -- for minors exhibiting serious misconduct.

However, these measures have not been fully enforced. Zhao Junfu, a judge with the Supreme People's Court, noted that many young offenders had shown behavioral red flags such as petty theft, fighting and truancy before committing serious crimes, but that timely interventions were often lacking.

To address such gaps, the revised Law on Penalties for Administration of Public Security mandates that minors who are exempt from detention due to their age must still undergo correctional education, as stipulated in the juvenile delinquency prevention law.

The revised law helps address the problem of delayed intervention in juvenile misconduct, supports both their reintegration into society and healthy development, and prevents them from falling into a cycle of crime, said Yuan Ningning, deputy director of the research base for juvenile affairs governance and law at China University of Political Science and Law in Beijing.

In addition to punitive measures, the revised law also responds to the protection of minors by introducing penalties for organizing or coercing minors into paid companionship, and for campus bullying.

Referring to the refined provisions for holding hearings in cases involving juveniles, Liu Hongzhen, a professor at the School of Law, Jilin University, northeast China's Jilin Province, said this reflects the law's emphasis on protecting the legitimate rights and interests of minors, and helps foster an environment conducive to their healthy development.

Beyond minor protection, this revised law also expands its reach to address emerging threats to social order. Activities such as leading pyramid schemes, insulting or defaming heroes and martyrs, and interfering with public transport by forcibly seizing control devices are now explicitly listed as punishable offenses.

Moreover, the law targets abuses of vulnerable groups, including the mistreatment of children, the elderly, the sick and the disabled, by their guardians or caregivers.

"The newly added punishable offenses will help enhance the capacity to manage new risks and hidden dangers, reduce the space for emerging illegal activities, and build a stronger, more responsive institutional 'firewall' to protect citizens and society," said Chen Tianhao, deputy director of the Center for Government Legal Studies at the School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University in Beijing.

Notably, the revised law introduces a system for sealing records of minor public security violations.

"Many public security cases involve only minor infractions," said Yue Shenshan, senior partner at Beijing-based Yuecheng Law Firm. He noted that sealing such records can prevent long-term impacts on offenders' employment and education, reduce discrimination, and lower the chance of reoffending, thereby ultimately contributing to social harmony.

This is the first major overhaul of the Law on Penalties for Administration of Public Security in the nearly two decades since it was first adopted in 2005 and took effect on March 1, 2006. The revised version will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026. ■